Rasharkin

Rasharkin (in Irish: "Ros Earcáin", ie Earcán’s wooded height or Larkin's wood) is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 13 kilometres (8 miles) south of Ballymoney. It is situated near Dunloy and Kilrea. It had a population of 864 people in the 2001 Census, after 30 years of gradual decline from a peak of 1,000 in 1971.

An old church, St Andrew’s Church of Ireland, sits at the top of the town. The village is well known for its light engineering industryFact|date=February 2007, including Hasson’s Structural Engineers.

The Brennan family

History

Rasharkin has a rich history and features in Ballymoney's involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. [ [http://www.ballymoney.gov.uk/htmlsite/heritage.asp?step=2&id=21&pstring=13,21 Ballymoney Borough Council] ]

Politics

Rasharkin is in the Ballymoney Borough Council area and has two Councillors based in the village; Daithí McKay of Sinn Féin and Roy Wilson of the DUP. The village forms part of the North Antrim constituency and the elected MP is DUP party member Ian Paisley. In recent years there has been opposition to Orange Order parades in the village, from its majority Catholic population. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4167962.stm Heavy security at loyalist parade, BBC News] ]

Places of Interest

*Craigs Dolmen is situated three miles north of Rasharkin and is a Passage tomb featuring a big capstone on seven upright stones. [cite web | title=Craigs Dolmen, Rasharkin | work=The Causeway Coast and Glens | url=http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/Explore/TownsandVillages/Ballymoney/tabid/409/Default.aspx | accessdate=2007-12-05]

People

*Chris Baird, a football player for both Fulham F.C. and the Northern Ireland team is from the village.
*Michelle McFerran resides here, and attends St Pauls College, Kilrea. Michelle is widely renowned for her beauty and kind demeanour.

Sport

*The local Gaelic Athletic Association Club in Rasharkin is Naomh Mhuire (St. Mary's), and consists of hurling, camogie and gaelic teams.

2001 Census

Rasharkin is classified as a small village or hamlet by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 864 people living in Rasharkin. Of these:
*24.9% were aged under 16 years and 15.7% were aged 60 and over
*48.4% of the population were male and 51.6% were female
*73.5% were from a Catholic background and 26.0% were from a Protestant background
*6.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information Service]

See also

*List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern IrelandRasharkin is a growing village

References

*Draft Northern Area Plan 2016
* [http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=16&to=344&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 Culture Northern Ireland]

External links

* [http://www.rasharkinwomensgroup.ik.com/ Rasharkin Women's Group]
* [http://www.nacn.org/rasharkin/ Rasharkin Community Association]
* [http://www.rasharkingac.ie/ Naomh Mhuire]